Ryan Anderson dot ca

Companies have begun to catch wind of this thing called social media and online PR.  Apparently, they’ve heard, instead of trying to pitch newspaper reporters on your products and spending millions of dollars on paid media, you can get your customers to talk about your product or your company online.

They’re not really sure what it is, but they know they want it.  The problem is, like any other medium, social media PR is not for everyone.

Putting your message in the hands of your customer means letting go of control.  Not every company is willing or able to do that.  I’ve worked with these companies – ones who wanted bloggers to sign image release waivers, who wanted language changed on personal websites because it didn’t match their marketing materials.  These are the companies that will not only not succeed, but they will damage their brand as a result of trying.

Social media PR has a lot of possibilities, but requires a major change in communications philosophy for all but the most progressive and nimble of companies.  Putting your message in the hands of bloggers means being able to say to bloggers “we just want your opinions to be public, whether they are positive or negative.”  It means letting go of the need for absolute control of the message, and to become a part of the conversation.

If you or your client can’t accept that, then social media PR is probably not the best tactic to consider.  Traditional companies should stick to traditional media.  Those who are willing to progress will be the new conversation, while the rest will be doomed to live by press release alone.